Braga is undoubtedly one of Portugal’s most charming cities! We immediately fell head over heels for Braga – and we were pleased to discover that there are a lot of great things to do here.
In Braga, you’ll find many old and historical buildings, so it’s almost like entering a city from another time. Yet, Braga’s population has grown a lot in size over the last couple of years, and it’s now one of the biggest and most modern cities in Northern Portugal. But the great thing is, it doesn’t feel big.
Braga is definitely one of the most charming cities in the country – so of course, we needed to dedicate a post for it.
In this blog post, we’ll share what we think are the top 10 best things to do in Braga. We’ll give you information about prices, opening hours, and historical facts of all the best attractions in Braga. And in the end, share our 3 favorite things to do in Braga – followed by a FAQ, which you can use to prepare yourself for your next trip.
AFFILIATE LINKS DISCLOSURE: Dear Reader, this blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.
Top 10 things to do & best attractions in Braga
Here are the top 10 attractions and things to do in Braga. You’ll need to stay a couple of days in the city if you want to visit all of them, so just pick a couple of attractions if you’re only in Braga on a day trip.
We would (obviously!) advice you to stay a night or two in Braga because it’s such a lovely city.
1. Arco da Porta Nova
There’s a good chance that your first stop in Braga will be at Arco da Porta Nova, also known as the Arch of the New Gate. As you can imagine, it’s an arch that marks the official entrance into the old city of Braga.
It was originally built in the 16th century as a triumphal arch, which was part of the old medieval wall of Braga. It was then reconstructed in the 18th century in a beautiful baroque design.
Today the arch is one of Braga’s important historical attractions, which you must see during your visit. It’s located close to the train station, and it’s always open and free to walk under. So why not begin your exploration of Braga by walking into the old town through Arco da Porta Nova?
2. Braga Cathedral
One of the most important things to do in Braga is to visit the cathedral. Why? Because not only is it Portugal’s oldest cathedral, the cathedral itself is older than the Kingdom of Portugal! Read more about Sé de Braga here.
The cathedral is located in the middle of the city center – you won’t miss it.
Beneath, you’ll find the ticket prices and opening hours of Braga Cathedral in 2023 (notice ‘I couldn’t find the official ticket prices for this year, so they are subject to change):
| Opening Hours 2023 | Ticket Prices 2023 |
|---|---|
| Winter: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM + 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM Summer: 9:30 AM–12:30 PM + 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM | Chapels & High Choir: €2 Museum: €3 Cathedral: €2 All-included ticket €5 |
3. Braga Cathedral Square
Now that we’re in the area, I want to recommend a great lunch, dinner, and drink spot for you – the Square by Braga Cathedral.
The Cathedral Square is full of bars and restaurants. We visited a restaurant named Dona Petisca (twice!) during our stay in Braga, and we had some of the most beautifully made- and most delicious tapas we’ve ever had!
We loved this square so much that we decided to but it on the TOP 10 list of things to do in Braga… What can I say? The bars and restaurants rocked! We even booked our accommodation here, so we basically lived and breathed on this square in Braga. Check out Sé Guesthouse – one of the best places we stayed in all of Portugal.
4. Jardim de Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara Garden is situated in the middle of the city center of Braga, and it’s one of the best things to see if you love a good city garden.
It’s a garden full of colorful flowers located right next to the historical Archiepiscopal Palace of Braga. While the garden itself isn’t that big, it’s still a nice little place to go for a stroll as it feels like you’ve been taken back to another time.
There are a couple of other gardens in Braga, but we found this one to be the cutest one – and the one that’s mostly worth a visit.
5. Get lost in the old city
One of the best things to do in Braga is to get lost in the old medieval city center. If you’ve seen the Santa Barbara Garden and the Cathedral, then you’re already wandering around in here!
However, there are much more to see in the old city center of Braga. There are SO many beautiful churches, which you can visit for free, a handful of interesting museums, incredible architectural buildings like Raio Palace, a lot of cozy squares with bars and cafés, and many bits and pieces from another time.
For example, you have the Torre de Menagem in the middle of the city, which is hundreds of years old and used to be part of a castle! Today it’s a national monument of Portugal, and it’s possible to visit with an appointment. We would never have bumped into this piece of history if we didn’t wander around the city aimlessly. Sometimes it’s great to get lost.
If you want to know more about the history, the landmarks, and the old medieval city center of Braga, then you can go on a tour and get lost while learning! Check out this tuk tuk city tour that looks like fun if you need inspiration.
6. Shopping in Braga Parque
Why on earth are we putting a mall on the list of the top things to do in Braga? Excellent question!
Well if there is one thing we’ve learned from traveling, it’s that you can always spent time in the mall. Braga Parque is the biggest mall in town, and it has so much to offer!
So if you’re in Braga for a long time and you need some leisure, then we can really recommend Braga Parque. It’s full of great shopping options, it has a really good cinema (tested and tried by us), and there is a food court full of good stuff!
We spent half a day here going to the cinema, eating in daTerra, and buying some new walking shoes for our travels. So we can definitely recommend it on a rainy day.
7. Sunset at Monte Picoto
Watching the sunset at Monte Picoto is definitely one of the best things to do in Braga!
Monte Picoto is a hill that’s located a couple of kilometers South of Braga, and it’s one of the best places to get a viewpoint over the city and watch the sunset.
Glenn and I wanted to hike here, but we ran a bit late. So we grabbed an Uber from the city center to the top of Monte Picoto for just €5. Then we watched a lovely sunset and walked back down the hill and into the city center of Braga.
It was such a nice evening! And we can 100% recommend you to visit this place for a great view over Braga.
8. UNESCO Sancutary of Bom Jesus
There is one attraction in Braga which you MUST VISIT on your trip – the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte.
This incredible sanctuary is mostly famous for its extraordinary Baroque staircase, which leads up to a beautiful church. There are also several chapels and fountains on the way – and the further up you get, the better the view!
When you reach the top of the stairs, you can discover all the glorious viewpoints over Braga city, visit the beautiful church, or take a stroll in the Sanctuary’s garden.
The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 due to its outstanding cultural value – the sanctuary was developed over a period of 600 years, and its construction is so prominent, that it creates a cultural landscape on the hill, which can be seen from afar.
While we think that walking up the stairs was the most special part of the place, it shouldn’t hold you back from visiting in case you have bad knees or other injuries. You can easily ride the funicular up and down the hill for just €2,5 / roundtrip. It’s also possible to stay a night in the 4-star Hotel do Parque, where you get to enjoy the sanctuary 24/7.
If you prefer to visit the sanctuary on a tour (and actually learn something!), then there are several tours, which includes a visit to the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Monte – check out this full day trip to historical Braga and Guimarães from Porto.
- Related blog post: Bom Jesus do Monte – Visit Braga’s Beautiful Sanctuary
9. Viewpoint and Sanctuary of Sameiro
While you’re in the area of Sanctuary Bom Jesus do Monte, why not walk the extra 2 kilometers to the Sanctuary of Sameiro? Not many people know this, but there is actually another sanctuary located on an even higher hill right next to Bom Jesus do Monte.
While the Sanctuary of Sameiro doesn’t have the same long history and charm as Bom Jesus, it does have an incredible viewpoint and beautiful church.
We honestly didn’t expect much at the Sanctuary of Sameiro, but we were pleasantly surprised with the grand viewpoint and the not-a-single-tourist-in-sight atmosphere.
If you’re in a car or with public transportation, then make sure to visit this sanctuary. Glenn and I took the bus from Braga to the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, then we walked the 2 kilometers to the Sanctuary of Sameiro where we took the bus back to Braga. And I’m so happy we did – it definitely deserves a spot on this list of top 10 things to do in Braga.
10. Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães
One of our favorite things to do in Braga (maybe even the most interesting place we visited in Braga) was the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães.
Just like you, I was scrolling through the internet to find things to do in Braga and finally fell over somebody mentioning the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães. From what we could find online, it didn’t really seem that exciting, but it somehow had EXCELLENT google reviews? Hmm… we just had to go see it for ourselves.
The Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães turned out to be one of our all-time favorite experiences in Braga. The bus to the monastery from Braga set us back around €2 per person / each way. Entrance to the monastery itself cost €4 per person.
So for just €16, we spent hours exploring an incredible monastery and its gardens all by ourselves. We literally didn’t meet another single tourist.
The monastery and its gardens are just massive and full of history. When you buy your tickets, you get a map over the trails in the garden and a map over the rooms in the monastery. With this comes a whole explanation about what the rooms were used for, who lived there, when it was built etc. Just incredible! It’s kind of like a DIY-history tour.
Here are the opening hours and prices of Monastery São Martinho de Tibães in 2023:
| Opening hours 2023 | Ticket prices 2023 |
|---|---|
| Winter season (1/11-31/3): 10 AM – 6 PM Summer season (1/4-31/10): 10 – 7 PM | Adult ticket: €4 65+ years: €2 Students: €2 |
Our 3 favorite things to do in Braga
Now that we’ve shared the 10 best things to do in Braga – we’re going to share our personal favorites.
Normally we find this section of the blog post pretty easy to write, but not this time around… We absolutely loved our time in Braga, and it’s very hard for us to narrow this list down to just 3 things.
But we’ll give it a go:
- Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte: Let’s be honest, there is a reason why this sanctuary is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It’s just incredible. The unique architecture, history, viewpoints, and general feel to the place creates an absolutely unique experience. This is without a doubt a MUST VISIT on your trip to Braga. We even dedicated a full blog post to the place here: Bom Jesus do Monte Sanctuary in Braga
- Get lost in the old city: The old city center of Braga is full of history. It’s such a pretty city that has a great medieval feel to it – that’s why we’ve deemed it Portugal’s most charming city! So our advice to you is to just walk around and explore as much as possible in the old city center. It’s not that big, so you should be able to cover a lot of ground with just one full day.
- Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães: We contemplated whether to recommend this monastery or the Monte Picoto hill for sunset, but eventually decided that the monastery just has to be on our list of favorites. If you follow the map given to you at the entrance and read the history of the place – like really surrender to the experience – then the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães is an excellent place to spend a day in Braga, and it’ll quickly cement in your memory.
Things to know before visiting Braga
We stayed in a really nice place named Sé Guesthouse, which was located right on the cathedral square for just €38 a night. Big spacious and modern rooms, cozy common areas, and clean bathrooms. Perfect little spot in Braga! If you want a more classic hotel, then you have several options on Booking.com, or if you want cheaper options, then check out hostelworld.com
There are 2 ways to get from Porto to Braga – you can either take the bus or the train. Both ways are super fast and affordable. The bus takes 1 hour and costs between €2-€10 depending on the company – book your tickets on busbud. The train takes 1 hour and 10 minutes and costs €3,25 – book your tickets directly at São Bento train station.
1. Braga Tuk Tuk City Tour (Explore the city center by tut-tuk for just €15 / person – for those who wants to have a taste of Braga)
2. Braga Half-day City Tour (Visit Bom Jesus Sanctuary and Braga’s historical center for just €55 / person – for those wanting to explore the main attractions in Braga)
3. Braga and Guimarães Full Day Tour from Porto (Visit two amazing cities in one day for just €90 / person – for those with limited time, who wants to see as much as possible)
Braga is an affordable destination in Portugal. We spent 6 days in Braga – exploring all the things listed here with an average spending of €105 per day for two people. This includes: Accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, groceries, drinks, transportation, entrance fees, and much more!
We hope you enjoyed our Top 10 things to do in Braga blog post. I really mean it with all of my heart when I say that I enjoyed my time in Braga, and Glenn and I think it’s one of Portugal’s most charming cities.
If you have any questions about Braga, then feel free to drop them in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We hope you’ll enjoy beautiful Braga! Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Read our other travel guides from Portugal:
